Xiaoqi

Chapter 570 Yuan Benchu ​​is complacent

Under the same night sky, some people are happy while others are worried.

Just as Chen Gong in Yanzhou was pacing into the military tent worriedly, in Yecheng, hundreds of miles away, someone was excited and couldn't help but be overjoyed.

"Hahaha!"

Hearty laughter filled the study room, echoing long and endlessly.

This is the study room behind the main hall of General Chaqi's Mansion in Yecheng, usually only Yuan Shao comes in and out, and no one else is allowed to set foot without permission.Otherwise, it will inevitably incur Yuan Shao's thunderous wrath and severe punishment, even Yuan Shao's three sons are no exception.

"squeak"

The sound of gently pushing the door came into the ears of Yuan Shao who was laughing, and suddenly his brows moved slightly, and the laughter came suddenly, and he quickly suppressed his smile.

After raising his eyes to see the person coming, Yuan Shao nodded slightly, and said softly: "Xianyi is here, sit down and talk."

The person named "Xianyi" was none other than Yuan Xi and Yuan Xianyi who had narrowly escaped death in Wuji City.

After getting Yuan Shao's approval, Yuan Xi closed the door behind him, quickly stepped forward to salute, and then obediently sat on the left side in front of the desk.

"Why did Xian Yi come here late at night?" Yuan Shao asked indifferently.

Yuan Xi, who was sitting upright, lowered his head and did not dare to look up at his father Yuan Shao's cold expression. After hearing the indifferent question, he was stunned.Immediately, an unspeakable bitterness filled his heart, making his heart ache, and his heart was extremely miserable.

The relationship between father and son, who are connected by blood, is so cold, what can I do!

It is true that Yuan Shao had three sons, but he preferred the youngest son, Yuan Shang. There was no obvious preference between the eldest son Yuan Tan and the second son Yuan Xi, and they were treated equally.However, since the relocation of Wuji Zhen's family happened, Yuan Xi's escape from the dead is indeed to be thankful, but fortunately.Yuan Shao was very concerned about the matter of the Zhen family, and turned his anger on Yuan Xi.

Therefore, after Yuan Xi fled back from the wilderness, Yuan Shao hated him even more.On weekdays, father and son rarely meet, and even if they do, Yuan Shao's attitude is extremely cold, his words are harsh, his face is ugly, and he seems unwilling to say a word to Yuan Xi.

Since then, Yuan Xi's situation in General Chaqi's mansion has become more and more difficult, not as good as before.Even the butler, Yuan Fa, was indifferent every time he saw him, as if talking to him would bring bad luck.If this is the case at home, the civil servants and military generals in Jizhou naturally ignore the existence of the second son Yuan; when they meet him, they will either turn a blind eye.Either turn your head and look elsewhere and leave quickly, as if Yuan Xi is the god of plague.No one wants to strike up a conversation with him.

that's all.After Yuan Xi fled back from Wuji City, he was in a very difficult situation and his position was extremely embarrassing.No one was willing to get close to him, even if he really couldn't escape, he just said "Second Young Master" with a subterranean smile, and then slipped away.Since the last three months.Yuan Xi was already an isolated existence in the Cheqi General's mansion. During the day, he was looked down upon by others, but at night he had nightmares again and again, and he didn't know what to eat.Suffering, life is worse than death.It can be said that he has tasted all the bitterness, had enough of rolling his eyes, and tasted the cruelty of the world.

There is a saying: Know your shame and be brave.

Regardless of whether Yuan Xi worked hard voluntarily or not, the reality forced him to have no way out, even if he was pretending, he had to show an attitude of diligence and hard work.Otherwise, if things go on like this, even domestic slaves and maids will dare to ride on the head of his second son Yuan and do whatever they want, and there will be no room for him in the general's mansion.

Therefore, in the past three months, Yuan Xi has worked very hard, practicing martial arts during the day to strengthen his body, studying hard at night, hiding in his own independent courtyard behind closed doors, which is completely different from the dandy life of the previous ten years. two people.And this abnormal behavior, someone will report it to Yuan Shao, but it has little effect, Yuan Xi still can't see his father's good face, and he is still the fallen "second son of Yuan" that no one cares about.

Now, his father, Yuan Shao, is over fifty years old, and his three sons have all grown up one after another.Three years ago, when Yuan Shao occupied Jizhou and became a vassal along the way, the three Yuan sons accumulated connections and strength in private.Originally, Yuan Xi also had a group of people. Although he was not his father's most beloved son, he was not neglected, and lived comfortably.

However, the trip to Zhongshan brought him back to his original form. Everything he once owned disappeared in an instant, his status plummeted, and a group of people who were close to him abandoned him one after another.At this moment of crisis, if he can't regain his father's appreciation and respect, then he, the Second Young Master Yuan, will gradually disappear from everyone's sight, and he will completely lose his qualifications to compete for the position of the eldest son, and become a dispensable outsider.

Therefore, there is not much time left for Yuan Xi to restore the decadent situation.If this period of time is missed, his weight in Yuan Shao's mind will become less and less in the future, and he will even be gradually forgotten by his father, and he will never have a bright future.

Therefore, this time Yuan Xi hesitated again and again, and finally bit the bullet. Taking advantage of the dead of night, he begged the old housekeeper Yuan Fatong in every possible way, hoping to meet his father Yuan Shao alone.The housekeeper, Yuan Fa, couldn't stand his stalking, soft-hearted and stubborn, and finally interceded for him for the sake of his past love, so there was a scene of father and son meeting tonight.

This is the second time in three months that the father and son have met alone.Except for the night when he escaped from Wuji City and told his father what happened, Yuan Xi never had the chance to talk to his father alone, and even seeing his father was an unrealistic extravagant hope.

Yuan Xi had had enough of this kind of life that was worse than death, and he couldn't bear it any longer.

"I heard that my father was organizing troops to send troops to the Central Plains, so I wanted to ask Ying to go out with my father. The Zhen family's affairs were all due to my incompetence. I missed a great opportunity to rob and kill Li Li's thief, and I was harmed by it without noticing. Now my father I am about to lead an army to attack Li thief. As a son of man, even if I give up my life, I will die on the battlefield. I promise to avenge my revenge. I implore my father to give my son a chance to avenge my shame. It is better to be fulfilled than to let me live like this. The ambition of revenge and shame. If you can relieve father's worries and die in battle, the child will die without regret!"

This is what Yuan Xi has been planning for a long time.The reason why he wanted to meet his father alone was his real intention.

As Yuan Shao's son, Yuan Xi knew his father's behavior style and temperament like the back of his hand, far surpassing Yuan Shao's understanding of him.He knew that his father, Yuan Shao, was always cold and hot towards his children. He looked like a strict father on the outside, but in fact he was more tolerant and kind in his heart.Just like what happened to the Zhen family this time, Yuan Shao was extremely disappointed with him. Afterwards, he was furious and reprimanded him sharply, but the result was only to let him think about his mistakes behind closed doors and no longer participate in military and political affairs. He was not severely punished.

Yuan Xi had never thought about this before, nor had he tried to figure out his father's thoughts and temper. The reason why he didn't try to figure it out was not because he couldn't think of it, but because it was unnecessary.But this time he suffered such a catastrophe and fell to this point, it made him learn from the pain, reflect seriously, and repeatedly figure out his father's temperament, so that he prepared a very targeted speech.

At the same time, after Yuan Xi finished speaking, he felt very uneasy in his heart, not knowing whether his deduction was right or not, and whether the words were useful.Because after hearing these words, Yuan Shao's expression did not change at all, he seemed unmoved, closed his eyes and fell asleep noncommittally, and remained silent.This caused Yuan Xi's originally firm calculations to be shaken in an instant, and he was vacillating in his heart. A heart rose to the top of his voice, unable to go up or down, holding his breath and keeping silent, and he was always watching the changes in the expression on his father's face out of the corner of his eyes.

At this moment, the seemingly ordinary father's night talk is not worth mentioning to countless father and son pairs in the world. How can there be father and son who don't talk and talk together.However, for Yuan Xi, the meeting between father and son is directly related to his living situation in the future, and even his future and destiny in life.If Yuan Shao can give him a chance to return to the army, even if he doesn't have much credit on the battlefield, as long as he doesn't make mistakes again, he can redeem the mistakes of the Zhen family and regain everything he had before.If Yuan Shao didn't allow him to go out with the army, then Yuan Xi's life would be over. If he wasn't liked by his father, he would have no future at all. He could only sit and wait for death, a mediocre life.

"Xianyi, have you recovered from your injuries?" Yuan Shao suddenly said in a gentle tone after taking a nap for a while.

Yuan Xi was overjoyed when he heard the words, and immediately replied in a respectful voice: "Thank you father for your love, the baby has already recovered, and he has practiced martial arts every day in recent days, and his body is much stronger than before."

"Well, that's very good." Yuan Shao nodded slightly, with a faint smile on his face, and said in a harmonious voice: "It's not something to be ashamed of being defeated by Thief Li. Before becoming a father, I was annoyed for a while, and it was your fault. Wronged."

"Father, my son,,,,,," Yuan Shao's words moved Yuan Xi into a mess, and the anguish and torment of the previous three months surged into his heart, and now they all vented out.Suddenly, tears filled Yuan Xi's eyes, choked with sobs and could not speak.

Yuan Shao waved his hand lightly, signaling Yuan Xi not to say much, and then sighed with emotion: "Bie Li is indeed extremely tyrannical, and it is reasonable for Xianyi to lose to him. Just before that, Cao Mengde secretly They sent Xiahoudun and Xiahouyuan brothers to lead more than 300 family dead men to rob and kill Li Thief. The plan was very careful, and it happened that Li Thief had only three followers. As a result, more than [-] dead men were all beheaded by Li Thief. Died by Li thief's knife; Xia Houyuan was severely injured, and died of serious injuries half a month ago, and also died.

The Xiahou brothers are the most powerful generals under Cao Cao's command. They are brave and good at fighting, and they are extremely aggressive.As a father in the early years, I have witnessed the tyrannical strength of the Xiahou brothers. Compared with me, the two generals of Jizhou Zhang Yun and Gao Lan, they are not inferior, or even surpassed.It's a pity that two such tyrannical generals died tragically at the hands of Li Thief one after another, which shows that Li Thief was extremely brave and hard to match.Therefore, it is not shameful for my son to lose to him! "

Yuan Xi subconsciously nodded, his expression was very excited, he immediately got up and knelt down and said: "This time when my father is going to fight, my child is willing to be a pawn, and I will obey my father's orders!"

Yuan Shao smiled and nodded, flipping the stack of brocade and secret letters on the table with his right hand at random, his smile became stronger, he seemed full of ambition, and he was sure of victory.Forcibly suppressing the joy in his heart, he said with a smile: "My son has this ambition, and as a father, I am happy to see it come to fruition. Now the plan to send troops has been prepared. When the time comes, I will immediately send troops westward and fight with the princes from all walks of life. Join the alliance and wipe out Thief Li in one fell swoop!"

After finishing speaking, Yuan Shao finally couldn't help laughing out loud, and Yuan Xi was also infected by his father's smile, and then burst out laughing: "Hahaha!"

Chapter 571 Gongsun Zan's internal and external troubles

(Thanks to: book friend z**cjm, Miss Li 1 book friend monthly ticket support, thank you!)

Jizhou's large-scale mobilization of troops and horses immediately aroused the vigilance of Gongsun Zan of Youzhou, forcing him to mobilize troops and horses immediately to prevent Yuan Shao from taking advantage of the civil strife in Youzhou to loot.

In the past three years, Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao fought several times, each winning or losing, and no one took advantage.

However, Gongsun Zan suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Jieqiao, and the most elite Baima Yicong under his command lost all casualties. After the battle, only a few hundred riders remained, and the army was already defeated.

However, Baima Yicong was just a cavalry force that Gongsun Zan started in his early years, with a limited number of cavalry, only a few thousand cavalry, and it would not be too bad to be injured and collapsed.

What's more, in October last year, Gongsun Zan received a secret report from Liu Yu who was engaged in Gongsun Ji, and Liu Yu raised an army of [-] to try to wipe him out.So Gongsun Zan was forced by the situation, and when the soldiers and horses were scattered on the Wuhuan border, he acted first and successfully hijacked Liu Yu and his family, forcing Liu Yu's army to throw their hands at the mouse and collapse without a fight.

Afterwards, Gongsun Zan continued to kill Liu Yu and his family members, annexed most of Liu Yu's troops, occupied most of Youzhou in one fell swoop, established himself as a vassal.

So far, Gongsun Zan led Youzhou Mu on his own, supported more than [-] troops, assigned trusted generals to serve as governors of various counties, and aggressively wiped out the remnants of Liu Yu's forces.

But after Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, not everything went well, but troubles continued.This is because Liu Yu has been the shepherd of Youzhou for many years, and his administration is lenient and benevolent. He has always advocated the policy of gentleness and enlightenment to Wuhuan, Xianbei and the surrounding foreign countries. popular.In addition, Liu Yu had a group of trusted generals stationed on the border before his death, and their strength should not be underestimated.

therefore.After learning of Liu Yu's murder, these generals did not submit to Gongsun Zan, but were eager to avenge Liu Yu and ran around to resist.However, tribal leaders such as Wuhuan and Xianbei were also at odds with Gongsun Zan. They had been fighting each other for many years, and the feud had accumulated for a long time, which had become an irreconcilable situation.Therefore, instead of taking advantage of Liu Yu's death to capture border counties, the various barbarian tribes had an ambiguous relationship with Liu Yu's generals on the frontier, and they seemed to be united against Gongsun Zan.

After Liu Yu's death, Gongsun Zan wanted to send his head to Chang'an to ask for credit.It is claimed that Liu Yu conspired with Yuan Shao and others in Jizhou to conspire against him in an attempt to establish himself as the imperial court and usurp the throne and proclaim himself emperor.Unexpectedly, the guards escorting Liu Yu's head were robbed and killed on the way.As a result, the head was robbed by Wei Weidun, the military school of Liu Yu, and the body was buried in secret.In this way.Gongsun Zan has not yet received the imperial conferment of the emperor.You can only lead Youzhou Mu by yourself, so as to dominate Youzhou and most of Qingzhou, and become a vassal all the way.

It's a pity that Gongsun Zan's position as state shepherd is not justified and not convincing.This triggered civil strife in Youzhou, so that there have been endless rebellions in Youzhou for more than a year.The fighting continued, making Gongsun Zan flustered and tired of coping.

Although Gongsun Zan annexed most of Liu Yu's troops, he still had 10,000+ troops in name.The strength is not weak, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the soldiers are strong and the horses are strong.However, Youzhou, like Xiliang, was a frontier state, bordered by many barbarian nations, and there were also a large number of barbarian tribes entrenched in the territory, which forced Gongsun Zan to send a large army to the border, always on guard against barbarian invasion.

In this way, even though Gongsun Zan had an army of 10,000+, he was stationed in various places, and his mobile force was very limited, only [-] to [-] troops, and he could not wipe out the rebels in a short time.

Today, several opposing forces, such as Xianyufu, Xianyuyin brothers, Zhonglang general Qi Zhou, and Wei Dun who captured Liu Yu's head and buried them in Youzhou under the former Liuyu's tent, are secretly colluding with each other and are fighting each other. He is currently fighting fiercely with Gongsun Zan's army.In addition, the leaders of Wuhuan and Xianbei tribes elected Yan Rou, the former general under Liu Yu's command, as Wuhuan Sima, willing to send troops to help, kill Gongsun Zan, and avenge Liu Yu's revenge.

Until now, Gongsun Zan has been fighting the rebels for more than a year, but with little success. Not only did he fail to wipe out the Xianyufu rebels as soon as possible, but the situation became more and more unfavorable.Brother Xianyufu and others secretly negotiated with Wuhuan Sima Yanrou, and there was a tendency to unite to attack Gongsun Zan.With such a bad situation, Gongsun Zan was so busy that he didn't care about his head and tail, he was in a hurry, and he was tired of parrying.

House seemingly endless rain.Just when Gongsun Zan was in a dilemma, Yuan of Jizhou was also dispatching troops, and it was very likely that he would take advantage of the civil strife in Youzhou to attack Youzhou.